Concept Model Workshop RSS
We had a workshop on concept models today and I found it difficult to completely detach myself from everything we know about the practicalities of building and to open my mind up to being completely creative. I wanted to think about how multi-cultural the area is and how everyone has followed different paths to all come together at one place. I think because the farm is used by so many people, it has became point where many people's paths have crossed.
Therefore my concept model involved all sorts of elements (string, washers, sticks and leaves) all coming together at one point.
This could translate into my design by having all of the exterior paths, rooms and internal corridors coming together at a central point or lobby area.
Sketchbook RSS
Got the sketchbook out today to jot down some ideas leading on from my concept model. I'm definitely liking the idea of all paths coming together to a point. My thinking is taking me down the route of a central atrium with the various rooms radiating off it.
I'm also considering a modular form for each wing of activity spaces (kitchen, dining room etc) running parallel to circulation spaces. I then think I can arrange the roofing to get natural light into the activity spaces throughout the entire day.
I'm also interested in the idea of an old english garden or perhaps a secret garden.
I really enjoy the sketchbook part of my development. It's an opportunity to give your mind and pen freedom but being able to reproduce ideas really accurately.
My Design RSS
Following the concept model workshop, I designed a plan with all the rooms and corridors coming into a central lobby area. The cafe was positioned in order to frame views of the farm with the kitchen adjoined to make it easy for volunteers to bring produce from the farm and into the kitchen. The activity room was located at the opposite end of the building to frame views towards the church.
The toilets were located near the farm area so that volunteers did not have to venture very far to go to the toilets. They were placed indoors but with a nearby door leading outside so that people inside and outside could use the toilets easily. The office was placed against the boundary of the Eastern edge of the site as it is likely to be the least used room and requires the greatest amount of privacy.
The rural craft centre is a much simpler design. The mezzanine office is almost like a guard tower looking out over the entrance to the site, there is storage space underneath the mezzanine and the office looks out into the pottery studio and the woodworking shop. The forge is angled to make it talk to the community centre and to create a flow throughout the whole site.
Landscaping Workshop RSS
We had a workshop on different things we could do with our site analysis to understand the site better. For this, several landscape architects came in to teach us and they were very interesting and passionate about what they did. Our tutor was particularly enthusiastic and it inspired the whole group to create the best designs we could.
During the day we spoke about what we thought about the site and what ideas we had for it, as well as learning about layer-cake diagrams which help you to breakdown the site into its important elements (hard area, vegetation buildings etc)
It seemed very important to get the landscape architects involved at this stage of the project to focus on the space outside of the design as well as the space inside.
Design Problems RSS
Following the concept model workshop, I designed a plan with all the rooms and corridors coming into a central lobby area but there were several problems I had with the design and some others that were raised by my tutor.
Firstly, there was a corridor that didn't lead anywhere and was put in only to maintain the symmetry of the design as a whole. Removing this corridor meant the rest of the building didn't work or fit together so well. The roofing would have been really difficult due to the awkward angles and the different wings not lining up correctly. Again fixing this meant that the rest of the design no longer worked so well either.
Also I wanted to move my toilets as they were currently placed against an internal wall which provided no way of accomodating the pipework. My disabled toilet, despite my best efforts, didn't quite meet requirements set out by the building regulations. I had forgotten to make the sink close enough to the toilet so that you could wash your hands whilst sitting down. Some room sizes needed to be tweeked as well.
It became clear that mending the current design wasn't very practical as moving anything meant the whole thing didn't work as well anymore. In the end I decided I had to walk away from this design and start afresh. I made sure the office wing and the toilet wing lined up making the roofing much easier. I also moved the sinks so that the toilets could come away from the wall and the pipework could be hidden in a wooden box behind each toilet. The extra corridor was removed allowing the activity room to enjoy 270 degree views towards the church and the pond. I also fixed the disabled toilet problem.
However there is still something I do not like about the design. I will need to think about it a bit more.
Leading up to the Intercrit RSS
Not long to go until the intercrit and I have a lot of work still to do. I should be able to get it done though. The plan was first to finish and colour the site plan and that has gone really well. I was pleased with how I rendered the plan and I decided to move away from layout paper to use tracing paper instead. This too seems to be have been a good move as the tracing paper is far nicer quality and more durable. It is definitely worth the extra price.
I've also got to finish my study models to show how my layout will work and how the spaces all relate to one another. I am planning to make two models out of double corrugated card. The first will be a quick(ish) model of the community centre showing all the spaces and openings for windows. I will also produce a second model giving a general example of how most of my roofs will work.
Finally I have been researching construction A LOT the last few days. I'm finding it's taking a while to figure out exactly what I need but I'm really enjoying it. I will have a few details to pin up for intercrit.
The Intercrit RSS
Well the intercrit is done. It seemed to go quite well and the tutor that I presented too seemed to enjoy my work. On the whole I think I got most of my key points out, my work looked good on the wall and it was clear and concise. He didn't look at my details too closely but said they looked pretty good.
There were a few things I felt I could have done better with however. For example I felt I could have given my presentation a bit better. I was jumping from one point to the next and back again as soon as my mind thought of things. I don't think it came across as confusing but a better structure would go down better.
The tutor was offered a lot of praise for my work. He liked the idea of thinking about the population mix all brought together, he said that my plans and elevations were nicely drawn and rendered, he liked the location of the toilet sited near to the farm as well as everything radiating off a central atrium. My favourite point he made was that he could tell I had really put a lot of thought in my designs, I am glad this is showing through in my presentation.
He was also able to offer some good points for improvement. The main thing he disliked was the position of the mezzanine. I have drawn it as having purely storage space underneath and he said it was a wasted opportunity for mezzanine. What was I gaining putting it over storage instead of just putting the office on ground level? He was concerned that my roof pitches seemed a bit shallow, he picked up on the awkward shape of the barn which I also felt needed to be changed, he also didn't like the corridor alongside the office which comes out into what he called an "awkward" corner.
Developments RSS
Some very good points were raised at the intercrit which will need to be addressed.
The first thing I really wanted to change was the shape of the barn and I made it a more useable rectangular shape and made it fit nicely in a northwest portion of the site.
The next thing I decided to change was the access road. I decided to bring the road around alongside the barn and out of the site where the old pedestrian access was and moved that to being alongside this new road.
A large part of the rural craft centre was redesigned to alter some rooms around and site the mezzanine over the woodworking shop. I was also able to move the access to mezzanine away from the where it used to be - right next to the front gate. It now opens into the central circle of the rural craft centre.
The landscaping changed a bit, I wanted to have more grass for picnic areas so a large plot of grass is placed in front of the rural craft.
I felt that my concept of "all paths meeting at a certain point" wasn't strong enough in my landscape. Therefore I decided to use different materials for my hard landscaping to highlight a path from the main entrance to the community centre entrance which then led to the atrium.
In the community centre the corridor next to the office was removed and that wing altered to accomodate this change. The office ended up being slightly bigger and the utility room located off it. The indoor seating area was extended to make more room for sofa/casual coffee space. The corridor which ran alongside the toilets was removed and replaced with a covered collonaded passage. This was done so that people coming off the farm with their dirty boots would not have to enter the main building to use the toilet, I've created a visually stimulating passage alongside the orchard and in real life this would save money.
More Design Problems! RSS
Well it's the penultimate weekend before the crit and I have some big design problems to resolve.
The first big problem is during intercrit when I designed my first elevation the building fit perfectly under 5m. Once I started looking into construction technology and discovering how thick a floor is, how thick a roof is, how the atrium works etc, the building quickly became 8m tall which is far too high.
Secondly the roof design does not work over the toilet area. It's profile works fine over the kitchen area where there is a wider span but over the toilets the roof becomes a 45 degrees angle. This is impractical and looks very silly.
I've found a solution to both of these problems by cutting the roof at around 6m and pitching another piece of roof up to it. A rooflight has been placed into this portion of roof to allow the light to flood the room for the whole day.
The third problem is a real dilemma. My access road ran across the whole site so that vans did not have to turn round and access could be made to the kitchen and the barn. However this covers up so much of my landscape with tarmac which I really do not like. Do I stop the road going down past the kitchen and deprive it of a close delivery point? Or do I take the road away from along the side of the rural craft centre? And if I do this what do I do with the space I have gained as it is completely overshadowed by the rural craft centre.
In the end I decided to remove the road from alongside the kitchen. I reasoned that most of the produce used in the kitchen will be taken from the farm itself meaning it will have to be carried in or brought in on trollies. For the amount of deliveries the farm will receive I couldn't justify a whole road just for the kitchen when these goods could also be brought in on trollies. It also meant I could extend my outdoor seating area and move the pond here. The old space for the pond has been turned into a natural playground.
The Atrium and Earth Cooling Tubes RSS
I was having real difficulty working out what what I needed to include in the construction details for my glazed, polygonal atrium. I went to speak to some third years to get their advice and they were very helpful highlighting some key factors I had to consider and some things to look up.
We also discussed the idea of earth cooling tubes and natural ventilation in my design. This system works by drawing air in from outside and sending it underground where thermal massing would heat or cool it depending on the time of year. It would then be drawn into the rooms of my building. As it heats up in the room it rises due to stack cooling effect where it would then escape through vents in the roof. All of this is done without electricity or machines. I have implemented this system into all rooms in the centre.
Final Crit and Reflection RSS
The crit has come and gone and I was pleased with how it went. They seemed genuinely impressed with my work and I was able to come back with a justification or an answer for all of their questions. They liked my concept and they liked dynamism of the final design. They said it was very interesting, well thought out, functional and considered many important factors including those on sustainabiltity and equality.
They also had a few suggestions as well. One of the tutors said that she liked the concept of the junctions of paths but felt the point where they met could have been more exciting, more of a statement. The other tutor picked up on my choice of materials. I chose Yorkshire stone which would need to be transported for several hundred miles to get it onto the site. She made the point that all these people had come to this area, why not use materials that the area has to offer which I think is a very valid point. They also remarked that I should have blacked out the walls on my plan better to make them clearer.
Overall I quite Caravanserai and learnt many new things. I enjoyed the concept and I enjoyed my initial development of my design as well as exploring my concepts. However as time progressed it felt like I was struggling just to get my ideas to work and severe problems becoming apparent in the final week meant I was unable to render my plans as I would have liked. I think it is very interesting in plan but not so interesting in elevation so this is something I can focus on more in the future. I may also have spent too long on researching and making construction details compared to actually developing my design. However this might be good for the future.